Ryan awkwardly adjusted his shirt again. It was just a nice polo shirt, but given how rarely he usually dressed up it still felt too fancy on him. At least the spare clothes Alistair had weren't another suit like his… Although maybe that would be better, because he might still look underdressed here. He certainly did next to Alistair, with his perfectly ironed indigo suit. He again was beginning to kind of regret coming along on such a whim. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but he wasn't exactly thinking clearly then. He had also just been hypnotized, so… But he was pretty sure this was of his own free will. And, well… He'd wanted something interesting to happen, hadn't he? The sound of the doors opening alerted him, and he turned to see if Alistair was there. Unfortunately, it wasn't him… But at least the two women entering were even more underdressed than he was. That felt a bit less intimidating. 

The two women noticed Ryan and headed over to his table. One of them, a muscular girl with a blonde ponytail and a similarly casual manner of dressing to him, waved politely. “Hey, mind if we sit here?” Ryan nodded quickly. “Uh, yeah sure! I'll pull out a chair!” They sat down, the other girl adjusting the large crocheted scarf she was wearing despite the building's heating. Ryan nervously glanced around, quietly swallowing. After a few moments of awkward silence, the scarfed girl chuckled. “We should probably introduce ourselves, shouldn't we? I'm Gretchen, and she's Tiffany! We're tagging along with our Mi-Friends, our friends. Who're you?” Ryan awkwardly smiled. “Uh, I'm Ryan… Uh… Alistair brought me… Never really been to one of these before…” Tiffany smirked. “Yeah, neither have we, don't worry.” Ryan relaxed a bit. That made him feel a little better. 

The three sat in silence for a while, glancing around the beautiful but empty venue, until Tiffany spoke up. “So, uh, Ryan, what's Alistair like?” Ryan blinked. “Uh, well, he's nice… Very good at hypnosis, I think… Dresses well… I'm not really sure, I only just met him a few hours ago…” He noticed the two girls sharing a concerned glance, and hastily added, “I-I came along of my own free will though! He showed me some cool coin tricks to hypnotize me and I said I wanted to see him again and he invited me to come along and I agreed since nothing interesting ever happens in my life and, uh, yeah…” Gretchen smiled, shrugging. “Well, if Mistress Hazel is fine with him then he's probably alright.” Ryan raised an eyebrow warily. “...’Mistress’ Hazel?” Gretchen chuckled, embarrassed. “Sorry, force of habit. She's my… Not sure what to call it, really. ‘Owner’ is kind of accurate but has some bad connotations… She's definitely a lot more than just a ‘friend’ or ‘girlfriend’... I guess ‘guardian’ is close enough? Not legally yet, but I live with her and she takes care of me, so… Uh, anyway, she's very nice! A bit… Intimidating sometimes, but caring, and very big on ethical hypnotism as well!” Tiffany glanced at the door. “And I'm here with my housemate Malia. I'm not big into the hypno scene, but she's a good friend… Helped me deal with a bad breakup last year, and she invited me to come along this year. It's been fun so far.” She grimaced slightly. “Does feel a bit awkward sitting with the other non-hypnotists while they catch up out there though… Feels like we're at the kids’ table…” Gretchen laughed, and Ryan was about to say something when the door opened, and the three hypnotists came in.

Alistair smiled at Ryan as they walked up. “Ryan, these are the friends I mentioned earlier, Malia and Hazel. And I see you've already met their plus-ones as well.” Ryan could immediately tell which one was Hazel just from Gretchen's brief comment about her being ‘intimidating’. Where Alistair had a calming, friendly vibe even with his suit, Hazel seemed to exude an aura of power, just in how she looked, moved, and glanced around. Even with her more casual clothing compared to Alistair's, she was the most eye-catching of the three. Malia was shorter than the other two, but seemed the most alluring of the three with her lovely red dress and tasteful jewelry. She smiled at Ryan, and it soothed his nervousness a bit. He waved awkwardly. “Uh, hi… Uh… I'm Ryan… Hi…” Malia gently shook his hand, her soft, deep gaze relaxing his body as he stared. “I'm Malia. Nice to meet you!” Hazel offered her hand and he shook it, feeling slightly lightheaded from her presence. “Wonderful to meet you, Ryan." “Y-Yeah, you too, uh… Yeah…” Hazel smiled kindly. “As you are new here, I do wish to ensure you know what to expect. Would you mind stepping aside with me so we can talk?” Ryan nervously swallowed and looked at Alistair. Alistair nodded reassuringly. “Don't worry, Hazel is perfectly safe. Probably the safest of all of us if I'm being honest!” He chuckled lightly, and Ryan looked back at Hazel, who was smiling patiently down at him. “...Okay… What do you wanna tell me…?” Hazel gently took his hand and led him to a nearby table.

Ryan and Hazel sat down. “I understand you only met Alistair a few hours before arriving here, yes?” Ryan nodded. “Uh, yes Mistr- Uh, Miss, sorry!” Hazel laughed kindly. “Don't worry, you can call me that if you wish. Or you can just call me Hazel. Whatever works.” Ryan blushed. “Okay, uh… Hazel…” Hazel smiled. “Back to the matter at hand, how much has Alistair explained about this meetup of ours?” Ryan scratched his head. “Uh… Well… I was asleep most of the ride here, so… Uh… You guys are all friends, and, uh, you're all hypnotists? Or at least you and Malia are?” Hazel nodded. “Yes, we are. And we have a few more yet to arrive who are also hypnotists. And I want to make sure you're comfortable with what's going to occur tonight.” Ryan nervously leaned away. “...What do you mean by that?” Hazel touched his hand reassuringly. “Nothing bad, don't worry. I just mean that during the course of the night, many of us will end up hypnotizing each other, and of course being hypnotized. And I understand this may make some people uncomfortable, especially if you aren't expecting it, so I wished to prepare you for that. Does that sound like something you would be uncomfortable with? It's alright if it is, we can ensure it doesn't get too intense.” 

Ryan pondered for a while. He'd never really had any experience with hypnosis before this except from TV and movies, and most of the time there it was either played for laughs or as part of an evil villain's plot. The thought of seeing people hypnotized in real life had never exactly crossed his mind… But… He'd really enjoyed being hypnotized by Alistair. It was nice. It was relaxing. It was… Exciting… “...Would… I be getting hypnotized as well?” Hazel smiled calmly at him. “Only if you wish to be. I very much dislike hypnotizing people against their will. And of course we will not make you do anything you don't want to.” Ryan gave a small smile. “Okay… I think I do wish to be… It felt very nice when Alistair hypnotized me… It was relaxing, watching the coins…” Hazel nodded. “Alright. Although I will say, our particular techniques may differ quite a bit from Alistair's.” Ryan cocked his head and blinked. “What do you mean?” Hazel chuckled. “Alistair often prefers to use unconventional foci and metaphors for his inductions. He hypnotized you with coin tricks, yes?” Ryan nodded. “Yeah, with the change for his charger… What's your technique like, then…?” He blushed and mischievously murmured, “...can you… demonstrate it for me?” Hazel laughed softly. “If you wish me to, certainly.” Ryan nodded enthusiastically, and she leaned closer. “Alright, get comfortable and I'll tell you…” Ryan adjusted himself in the surprisingly comfortable seat, and Hazel gestured to her wide open eyes. “What I first do is direct their attention to my eyes. I direct their attention to my eyes, and how beautiful my eyes are, and how they're beginning to fall into my gaze, falling deep into my powerful gaze, my lovely eyes filling your mind, and your mind begins to grow fuzzy, all your thoughts swirling around and around, swirling deeper into my eyes, my swirling eyes fading all your thoughts away, my voice swirling around and around in your head as your eyes begin to droop and your body begins to relax, it's so hard to keep your eyes open, so hard to keep staring deep into my swirling hypnotizing eyes as my voice tells you to Sleep, my eyes tell you to Sleep, your eyelids flutter closed and you fall fast a-Sleep.” She softly clicked her fingers by Ryan's ears, and he fell limp, a sleepy smile growing on his face. Hazel gently lowered his head onto the table and smiled adoringly. “I can see why Alistair was so excited to bring you. You're a wonderful sub~” Ryan smiled, deep in a swirling, happy trance…

“...So, Ryan mentioned you hypnotized him with ‘cool coin tricks’? How does that work?” Alistair chuckled at Tiffany's question. “It's a bit more involved than that, but yes. I used coins to focus his attention and mesmerize him while I led his mind into a trance with my words.” Tiffany raised an eyebrow. “So… like that trope on TV where they swung a coin on a string in front of someone's eyes?” Alistair shook his head. “No, not exactly. I use the concept and associations of the coin itself to lead their mind where I want it to go. Does that make sense?” Seeing Tiffany's confused expression, he smirked. “Here, why don't I show you?” He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a shiny nickel. Tiffany looked warily at it. “...When you say ‘show me’, do you mean you're going to hypnotize me?” Alistair winked. “Perhaps~” Tiffany looked at him, then shrugged. “Sure, why not.” He laughed. “Alright, good! Now, hmm… Which one to use… Ah! Malia, can you get some cups please?” Malia nodded and grabbed three cups, placing them on the table before them. She smiled at Gretchen. “Come over here, let's give him some space for the trick.” Gretchen nodded, and they sat at an adjacent table, leaving Alistair and Tiffany alone. Alistair grinned. “Now we can begin.”

He held up the nickel, letting the lights of the room glint off of it. “Quite a beautiful coin, isn't it~?” Tiffany grunted. “Mhm.” Alistair continued, speaking in a smooth and hypnotic voice. “Polished, shining, and valuable~ The light represents wakefulness and energy~ Thoughts, captured within the shimmering light~ But what if it vanishes~?” He quickly slid it under the left cup, and Tiffany felt her eyelids flutter slightly to her surprise. Alistair swapped the left and middle cups and smiled at Tiffany. “Where is the coin now~?” Tiffany blinked. She'd seen which one he put it under, so she should know where it was… But this was a trick, right…? Hesitantly, she picked up the center cup… The nickel underneath shimmered in the light, and she felt a soft relief wash over her as she saw it. Alistair deftly picked it up, letting it shine more. “As the light returns, you feel your stress and confusion fade away, don't you~?” Tiffany nodded hesitantly. “Uh, yeah, I guess…” She wasn't exactly sure if she was just playing along or not…

Alistair continued to move the nickel, Tiffany's eyes locking onto it automatically. “The light means everything is all right~ That your mind is awake~ But when it disappears,” he slipped the coin under the right cup, “So too do your thoughts~” Tiffany blinked again, feeling slightly dizzy. Alistair began shuffling the cups. “You need to find the light to wake up, but the longer it's hidden, the sleepier you become~ Trying to focus on the cups to find where it is, but your eyes are becoming harder to keep open~” He stopped shuffling the cups. “Can you find it~?” Tiffany's mind already felt surprisingly heavy, her eyes threatening to close as she reached for the correct cup. As soon as she saw the nickel shining in the light, she felt that sense of gentle relief again, and her eyes fluttered open. Alistair plucked the nickel from the table again, letting the light shine in Tiffany's eyes. He grinned. “One more time~” As he slipped it under the middle cup, Tiffany could almost feel her mind dimming…

Alistair began shuffling the cups rapidly. “Watch the cup~ You need to Focus on where the cup is~” Tiffany watched the cup as he shuffled it back and forth, round and round. The cups were spinning around so fast now, but she had to keep Focused… Keep watching the cup go around and around… Swirling around and around as her eyes slowly drooped… Her mind getting dimmer and dimmer as the light faded… She dimly realized Alistair was speaking… His soft, silken voice filling her mind… Suddenly the spinning stopped, and she was staring at the cup she was focusing on… She slowly picked it up, expecting to find the light…

But all she saw was darkness underneath…

Alistair reached into his pocket and pulled out the nickel, the light flashing into Tiffany's eyes once again. “You were focused on the cup, not the light~” He placed it on his palm, and Tiffany could feel herself waking up slightly. But with a sharp CLAP, he covered the nickel-

And Tiffany's mind filled with darkness, sending her to Sleep…

Gretchen watched as Tiffany fell fast asleep. “Wow. That was impressive.” Malia smiled. “It's one of my favorite of his tricks, personally.” Gretchen nodded, glancing around the room. Hazel was currently seating Ryan's hypnotized body comfortably in his chair, and Alistair was calmly stacking the cups as Tiffany snored quietly. As she glanced around, she met Malia's gaze. Malia's soft, relaxing gaze… Malia smiled mischievously. “So, are you interested in seeing my technique, Gretchen?” Gretchen chuckled. “Technically I saw it last night already… But sure! It feels weird being the only pet not asleep now.” Malia giggled. “Alright, just relax in your chair and let's begin~” Malia gently put her hand on Gretchen's shoulder, gazed into her eyes with her own deep, relaxing ones, and began whispering in her soft, silky voice. “Stare deep, deep, deeper into my eyes~ Feel my whispers enter your mind~ Slithering softly in through your ears, spreading gentle relaxation through your body~...” A warm, quiet comfort flowed through Gretchen's body as Malia whispered to her, everything fading save for those wonderful, relaxing eyes, and soon the comfort overwhelmed her, and she tucked in her arms and legs to her clothes in sleepy coziness, chattering softly like a happy bunny…

”...0, Awaken~”

“Start Again.”

“Open your eyes now.”

The three plus-ones were all gently brought out of their trances one by one. Gretchen smiled sleepily as she came to, stretching adorably as her eyes fluttered open. Tiffany's eyes snapped open, and she quickly returned to a normal seating position, gaze averted in embarrassment. And Ryan's eyes slowly opened as what felt like the best sleep he had ever had smoothly faded away. He lifted up his head, seeing the three hypnotists smiling down at them. Hazel smiled kindly at him. “How did it feel, Ryan?” Ryan grinned sleepily. “...wonderful…” Tiffany glanced around the still empty room. “...The rest still haven't shown up?” Malia chuckled, embarrassed. “Yes, we arrived a bit earlier than scheduled… And also some of the others like to arrive ‘fashionably late’, as they say.” Alistair brushed his suit. “I, myself, prefer to arrive fashionable and early!” He snickered, and the others groaned and laughed appreciatively at the corny joke. Gretchen looked up at Hazel. “So, why bring us up now then?” Hazel glanced at her watch. “I would prefer you to meet our friends while in your right minds. It feels more polite that way.” Gretchen nodded. “Yeah, good point.” Alistair pulled out the nickel, Tiffany and Ryan's eyes unconsciously flicking towards it. “I can pass the time by showing some new tricks I've developed~!” Tiffany pointedly averted her gaze while Ryan stared widely at the nickel, and Alistair began his patter. “The nickel is the thickest of all the traditional coins, and therefore…”

[A soft buzzing noise drowns out Alistair's trick, unbeknownst to those within the room, as the static fades back in...]